Cory Doctorow has a vested interest in the written word, as if paid by the word, being super valuable though. His value as an author is diminished if I can type into ChatGPT a prompt like "write a story about living the Disneyland's Magic Kingdom about this guy Dan who's lost all his Whuffie, which is a form for internet karma (points). Pretend you are Cory Doctorow who hates ChatGPT and LLMs, but is wrong.", and get a story back. Writing use to be hard. Who knows how much money "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" has made Mr. Doctorow? Meanwhile here's what ChatGPT spit out for me on the basis of the above prompt. It's no "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom", but that's
got to have him running scared, which is what's making him refer to LLMs as "autocomplete". I mean if my job were so obviously on the way out, I'd do everything I could, including only referring to it in derogatory names, to willfully avoid seeing the threat when it's right in my face from everybody talking about it.
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Once upon a time, there was a man named Dan who loved nothing more than spending his days at Disneyland's Magic Kingdom. He had always been an avid fan of the park, and he had made countless memories there over the years.
But one day, everything changed for Dan. He had been so caught up in his online life that he had neglected his real-life relationships and experiences, and as a result, he had lost all of his Whuffie, the online karma points that he had accrued.
Dan was devastated. He had always prided himself on being well-liked and respected in online communities, and he couldn't believe that he had let himself fall so far. He felt like a failure, and he didn't know how to pick himself up and move forward.
But then, one day, Dan decided to return to Disneyland's Magic Kingdom. He figured that he could at least find some solace and happiness there, even if he had lost everything else.
As soon as he stepped into the park, Dan felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. He remembered all the good times he had spent there, and he felt a glimmer of hope that he could regain some of what he had lost.
As he wandered through the park, Dan began to notice all the little things that he had taken for granted before. The smell of popcorn, the sound of laughter, the sight of children's faces lighting up with wonder and joy. He realized that there was so much more to life than just online popularity, and that he had been missing out on so much by focusing solely on that.
Dan spent the whole day at Disneyland's Magic Kingdom, riding rides, watching shows, and just taking in the magic of the place. And when he left that evening, he felt a sense of peace and contentment that he hadn't felt in a long time.
Over time, Dan began to build himself back up again. He reconnected with old friends, pursued new hobbies, and started to live his life in the real world instead of just online. And while he never regained all of his Whuffie, he didn't really care anymore. He had found something much more important: happiness and fulfillment in the real world. And he knew that he had Disneyland's Magic Kingdom to thank for showing him the way.